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She’s in the Glow’s Annie Atkinson’s Wedding: A Night at the Pink Museum

Henry and I walking through a tunnel of confetti.Photo: Ely Fair Photography

The second time they met was at Coachella in California. “It was my first ‘festival experience’ and Henry was there,” Annie remembers. “We spent the whole weekend by each other’s sides—but as friends.” On the third and final night a sandstorm hit. “I was covered in sand and wanted nothing more than to escape,” admits Annie. “Henry left all of his friends and escorted his cousin and me out and spent the next hour looking for a way to get us home safely. It was pure chaos. Finally safely inside a car that he had flagged down, Henry made an executive decision, and after packing up our bags, we went back to Los Angeles, where the three of us ended up comfortably spending the night at one of his favorite hotels. He was my knight in shining armor!”

When they returned to New York, Henry didn’t waste any time asking Annie out on their first date. “I was used to getting asked out on dinner dates or the more casual ‘let’s get drinks,’ so I was quite surprised when Henry called me on the actual telephone and asked me on a Sunday evening to Aire Ancient Baths, a candlelit sanctuary that’s part detox, part romance,” says Annie. “That night, we floated together in the saltwater pools. It was really quite romantic.” Afterward, they left the baths and walked back to Henry’s apartment. “He cooked me dinner that night, and I’ll never forget it. It was delicious—homemade tomato sauce and fresh pasta from Eataly and a bottle of wine. His ambitious move didn’t go unnoticed, because from that moment on, we’ve been together.”

With Henry’s parents based in Zurich and Annie’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the two families had never had the opportunity to formally meet, even after the couple had been dating for two years. “Henry’s 30th birthday was coming up and all he wanted was for our families to get together,” says Annie. “My friends were convinced he was going to propose, but I wasn’t.”

Henry devised a plan to throw Annie even further off the scent. “He took me to meet with his friend Russell Kwiat (of Kwiat Jewelers) a week before his birthday to try on engagement rings,” says Annie. “I was sure we weren’t going to get engaged for another two to three months after that, since it takes time to make a ring. I took it as a sign we were moving forward, but certainly didn’t see a proposal happening anytime soon.”

Unbeknownst to Annie, this was a total diversion and Russell was even in on it. Henry had already picked out the ring weeks before. That Friday night, the two families met over a home-cooked meal at Henry’s West Village apartment. “Everyone knew it was going to happen—but me, of course,” remembers Annie. “While we were having cocktails on our roof, Henry gave a toast thanking both families for coming so far, and then in what felt like slow motion, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was such a sweet moment. Of course, I was dressed in all black, in a less-than-perfect outfit that definitely showed my bra, and was completely stunned. But I said ‘yes.’ Later that night, he surprised me with a Flour Shop cake covered in edible diamonds and silver glitter made by our friend Amirah. It was the most magical cake I’ve ever tasted.”

Annie and Henry both wanted a fall wedding. “It’s our favorite time of year,” says Annie. “We picked September 17, so it wouldn’t conflict with New York Fashion Week, and we wanted at least a year to enjoy the engagement period.” Choosing a date was easy, but deciding on the destination proved to be the hardest part of the planning process. “We wanted something personal, something timeless, and something that celebrated the union of our two families, so ultimately, we went with my hometown of Tulsa.”

The rehearsal dinner and the wedding were held at two very iconic Tulsa destinations, Cain’s Ballroom, one of the most renowned country music halls in the United States, and Philbrook Museum of Art, which looks like a Tuscan villa. “The museum has a special place in my heart,” says Annie. “Besides being only a few blocks away from my childhood home, I used to play in the gardens and take art classes there.”

With the destination decided on, Annie turned to choosing a dress. She had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted to wear on her wedding day before she even started dress shopping. “I wanted to go full on Givenchy, à la Vanessa Traina,” she says. “But unfortunately, getting a custom Givenchy gown wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. I scoured Madison Avenue and some bridal boutiques, but found nothing. It wasn’t until Monique Lhuillier’s Fall 2016 bridal collection arrived that I found the one. It was two parts: a delicate lace, form-fitting dress and then this over-the-top ostrich feather skirt. It was quite major. But after seven months of seeing it and going for fittings, I never got sick of it.”

Annie’s something blue was her grandmother’s vintage aquamarine ring that she had Soraya Silchenstedt redesign. She also made Annie’s wedding band, which is a thin band of princess-cut stones, and tiny rose gold bar earrings with four ombré pink sapphire stones that the bride gifted to all of her bridesmaids. “The design represented the ombré effect of my 12 bridesmaids walking down the aisle in varying shades of pink and blush,” says Annie. On her own ears, she wore a pair of diamond clip-on earrings from Kwiat.

For beauty, the bride was inspired by Swan Lake, with a hint of Black Swan. “I worked with my hair stylist, Tiffani Patchett, who assists Guido [Palau],” explains Annie. “She is amazing. I knew I wanted something ballet inspired, and we ultimately decided on a classic slicked-back bun, finger raked but a slight side part. I wanted to look like me, but the best version. We added fake lashes of course” she says. “I also went nuts on lash and brow serums beforehand. I didn’t tweeze my brows for weeks to let them really grow out.”

Annie wanted a dramatic entrance, so a long pathway that led down to the ceremony served as the aisle. “I had 12 bridesmaids, who each wore a dress in a different shade of pink,” she says. “I provided the girls with an inspiration board, and they chose their own dresses. It was a bit of a process making sure each dress tied back to the theme, but in the end, it was perfect. I didn't want 12 clones walking around all night” Annie had envisioned a pink ombré effect as her bridesmaids walked down the aisle, and it started off with her mother, who wore a midnight blue Oscar de la Renta gown with pink appliqué flowers that pulled the whole concept together. Annie’s two nieces served as her little flower girls. “Lola, who is 4, carried an oversize pink balloon down the aisle,” says Annie. “It was absolutely adorable, and she held onto it as if her life depended on it.”

Annie and Henry worked with wedding planner Ashley Farthing who brought their vision to life. The bride had her heart set on a Sperry tent from the get-go—“They feel so regal. Inside the tent, I wanted it to look like we were inside a colorful bubbly Champagne glass, so we decorated the ceiling with oversize pastel balloons,” explains Annie. The flower arrangements throughout the ceremony and reception were done in a Dutch masters style in a range of pinks, sprinkled with a few pops of pastel. “I loved the irreverence and imperfection of the floral arrangements.”

Annie and Henry are both self-confessed foodies—and while the rehearsal dinner held the night before was very much Henry, the bride wanted the meal served at the wedding to feel more like her. “The menu was totally my vibe: healthy, seasonal, colorful, and delicious,” she says. During cocktails, the most beautiful rainbow-colored crudités platters were passed around and guests could choose from a few different vegan dips. Most of the dishes incorporated edible flowers and her sister’s artesian salt Garnish was sprinkled as the final touch. “It was equal parts taste and presentation,” says Annie.

The father of the bride served as the emcee for the evening. “It was really sweet, and he is an excellent public speaker,” says Annie. Henry’s groomsmen presented the newlyweds with a massive Swiss alphorn, which had come all the way from Switzerland. “It was the length of an SUV,” says Annie. “Henry tried to blow on it, and he couldn’t do it! Fortunately, a Swiss friend came onstage and blew us away with his alphorn skills.”

The couple kicked off the dancing with “At Last”—“Henry and I are the worst dancers,” admits Annie. “We even took dance lessons and still somehow blew our dance, but I didn’t care. We both love that song so much.”

When Henry and Annie heard that the museum would close at midnight, they knew that this was too early for the night to be over. Thankfully, one of Annie’s best friends kindly lent them an open warehouse space in downtown Tulsa that they turned into a Brooklyn warehouse–inspired rave for the post-reception party. “Henry’s European background has give him this innate ability to create the perfect party,” says Annie. “We flew in a friend from California who deejayed; we had two food trucks; cotton candy cones were passed around. We even gave guests wristbands that lit up with the sound of music. It was a wild night that didn’t end until the sun came up.”